NewsOK: Oklahoma City News, Sports, Weather & Entertainment

When drafting the collective bargaining agreement, NBA owners included a safe-guard, in case a season was ever shut down.

With play stalled for at least 30 days, the National Basketball Players Association has made players aware of the Force Majeure Event provision in the CBA, and the financial implications it could have on players, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday.

NBA owners have not discussed triggering provision with the NBPA, according to Wojnarowski, and the players union made that clear in the email.

The NBA season came to an abrupt halt this week due to the coronavirus pandemic. Epidemics are included in the Force Majeure Event clause. Force Majeure can be roughly translated to “act of God,” and also covers natural disasters, wars, etc.

Per the CBA, if teams are unable to play due to a Force Majeure Event, players’ salaries can be reduced by 1/92.6 for every game that is not rescheduled.

Oklahoma City Thunder fans leave lafter an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz was postponed at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. [Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman]

Maddie Lee

Maddie Lee followed an NBA team from Seattle to Oklahoma City, she just took a 10-year detour in between. Lee joined the Oklahoman in October 2018 as a Thunder beat writer, fresh off a stint in Oxford, Miss., where she covered Ole Miss for the...
Read more ›